Superbowl

From Roy Babu

Snowy Owl with a beautiful sunset background,loves how the orange sky gives some colour to otherwise a dull picture.

From Nancy B Toney

This Northern Hawk Owl took off from a perch while I was looking at my phone and within seconds had missed the entire flight. Luckily it went back to the same perch and did the entire sequence again.

From New Mexico Wildlife Center

There's a cool secret hidden behind the flat facial disc of a Northern Saw-whet Owl: absolutely enormous ears!

While Northern Saw-whet Owl 24-988 was sedated for a bandage change recently, we parted the feathers at the edge of her facial disc to show one of her ear openings.

This species has asymmetrical ears - one placed higher than the other - which gives them the ability to hear in three dimensions! We humans, with our symmetrical ears, can judge pretty well how near or far a sound is and whether it's coming from our left or our right, but it's difficult for us to tell whether a sound is coming from up high or down on the ground.

That's not a problem at all for a Northern Saw-whet Owl, since they can notice in an instant when a sound coming from down low reaches their lower ear a fraction of a second before it's detected by their higher ear.

Those ear openings are so large that it's possible to see the back of an owl's eye through the ear hole. See that darker, bluish-grey structure in the ear? That's the back of 24-988's right eye!

Owls' eyes are also enormous - each one about as big as their entire brain - which allows them to see very well in the dark, but it also means that when an owl sustains a head injury, there's also a high likelihood of injury to one or both eyes.

When we do an intake exam on an owl, we often look into the ears to check for bruising on the back of the eyes. In 24-988's case, she did have a minor injury to her right eye, which healed quickly with medication.

Her ears and eyes look great, and her fractured femur and scapula are also nearly healed!

From Thomas Walker

A Screech Owl which i was able to shoot without him awakening. South Alberta.12.29.24

From Khalid Bagwan

Owl'some Shots of Indian Eagle Owl

Kolhapur, India

From Karl Ramsdell

After years of waiting my dream came true. A snowy owl on a lobster boat.

Snowy owls are what got me into photography. When life didn't seem so fair, a snowy owl came along and changed my life.

I started about 6 years ago and ever since my dream has been to get a shot of one on a lobster boat. Well, today the stars aligned and I was at the right place at the right time in the universe. My dream came true.

I've always thought they should be called "great" snowy owls. Someone that is great lifts people up, brings them together, and gives them hope. That's exactly what these owls do.

Babloon

Cardimelon

Catcus

Corcenga

French Kiss (get it?)

Gorilegg

I know very little about the artist, just that I love this stuff. His main site seems to be down at the moment, but at least there's an Instagram stream: https://www.instagram.com/animalsinthings/

For those who still visit the evil empire, there's r/HybridAnimals for more of this art. Does such a community exist in the Lemmysphere? I'm not sure, but if not, it sure wouldn't hurt if someone wanted to start it up!

From Everet D Regal

After sitting under a stand of 3 or 4 huge Eucalyptus trees, high on a barren hillside, watching for bobcats, the last bits of evening light and the now cold air was causing me to shiver in my shorts and t-shirt. Bobcat had been my target subject, but my one sighting was brief, resulting in no photographs and the only other wildlife l'd seen was a lone coyote, who patrol the terrain in search of gophers and rabbits. When first saw this Great Horned Owl land on a perch behind me, it was much to far away in such dim light for me to photograph. I could have never imagined that the owl would find me to be a curiosity in his territory, flying right to the trees I was sitting under and landing just over my head. I couldn't twist around enough to take any photos, as was sitting on the root, with my tripod low to the ground.

Assuming I would never get a shot off before he flew, slowly stood, keeping the huge tree trunk between me and the owl, extended my tripod legs, adjusted my camera settings for what might be a split second opportunity and began to reposition myself to have a clear line of sight. Much to my surprise the owl stuck and was able to shoot multiple exposures as he stared down at me. I was shivering pretty hard at that point, perhaps from the cold, but also from the adrenaline of the situation. I wondered if he was sizing me up for an attack or just questioning his reflection in my huge 600mm lens glass. After a minute or so, he flew from that branch and perched on this one, in a different tree.

Again, he allowed me to carefully reposition myself and begin taking photographs. As he began gyrating, bobbing his head and calling out, I glanced to my left and saw what assumed was the mate far off in the distance. With the low light, the cold breeze and the owls cackling being the only sound breaking the silence, it was an eerie feeling, making all the hairs stand up on my arms and legs. Being alone in the middle of this vast, expansive area, surrounded by steep, rugged terrain, and no headlamp was almost relieved when the owl finally flew to join his partner for their nightly hunt and was able to start my decent, down to where I parked. I was freezing and couldn't wait to get the top back up on the convertible was driving, turn on the heat and begin my 2 hour drive back to my hotel. It was a great finish to the day and stands as my most unusual and eerie owl encounter. The crazy look of the owl in this shot may not be my favorite of the encounter, but pretty much sums up how it felt from my perspective.

Canon EOS 1DX MII+EF600+EF1.4x - 1/640-f/5.6 12,800 ISO

From Stojan Mihoric

Ural owl, melanistic Slovenija Januar 2023 Nikon D500 200-500mm f5.6 lso 1600 1/160s f5.6

From Rick Welsh

Snowy Owl puffing herself up to look more fierce to deter the incoming Perrigan Falcon.

From Peter Bergquist

Sometimes your patience and waiting pays off... A Short- eared owl flying in front of a massive rainbow in Edison, WA.

From Edward Lee

Today's Owl is a rare Boreal Owl sitting in the sun taking a nap. Well, just a little peek to see what is going on. Normally, they are 8-10 inches high but because this one is hunched down a bit, think it might be 7-8 inches high. A small and cute assassin.

From Paul Bannick

Standing Tall for the New Year!

Northern Pygmy-Owls have surprisingly long legs which they can use to rise out of hiding to spot potential prey with their keen eyesight.

From The Owl Orphanage Velddrif

Just before midnight last night, I received a call from the Saldanha police station.

They arrested this beautiful lad. He was found grounded next to a road. They were willing to release him into our care with the condition that he doesn't end up scratching any cars again.

My next call was to wake Adrienne up. Adrienne agreed to get out of bed and meet up with the police (I wonder what her neighbours thought). She then let me know what the owl's condition was, so to decide on the best way to stabilize. Adrienne is one of our first responders. Thank you for looking after him and getting him to the centre early today.

Luckily this lad only has a concussion and swelling around one eye, with no broken bones. We will fix him up in no time. Thank you Warrant Officer Claassens for caring and showing true compassion towards the wellbeing of this little chap. You Rock.

From Thai Lee

For the first time ever, 5 snowy owls (long eared, that is), all roosting in the same tree. Anyway, first time l am seeing that many LEO in the same tree!

Expression says it all

From Ryan Humphrey

Everyone wants the rare owl(*), meanwhile I'm here being the cutest mother loving thing ever and am so widespread you missed 700 of us when you drove north. Pssst Whateva! See ya up there! 😂

(*) This is in reference to the Boreal Owls that have been tending lately.

From Kristine A Patti

My feetz, my feetz! They catch what eatz! I adore my beautiful feetz!

From Hung Do

Barred Owl

Pa-Hay-Okee, Everglades National Park

New Year's Day brought an overcast morning, but the resident owls made an appearance shortly after sunrise. Both flew out onto the roadside and stayed out all morning with only the male retreating a little deeper into the cypress dome. I found the female in the same spot around noon as I was leaving the park.

From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

A call came in very early on Sunday morning regarding a Great Horned Owl in need of help. The owl was large and capable of flight but was extremely weak. The finder, Colleen, and her son attempted to contain the owl, but it managed to evade them. Colleen was able to send photos of the owl, clearly demonstrating that it was in distress. Our rehabilitator met Colleen at the exact location of the owl. Upon arrival, they found the owl perched in a tree, appearing very weak and having difficulty staying perched. It was soaked and had trouble keeping its wings close to its body. When approached, the owl flew across a cornfield while being chased by crows. It took flight again, remaining low to the ground until, in its weakened and exhausted state, it was finally captured safely.

Our rehabilitator was horrified by the owl's physical condition and quickly identified the cause of its illness. The Great Horned Owl was suffering from a severe case of trichomoniasis (also known as frounce in raptors and canker in pigeons and doves), a contagious disease caused by a parasite that affects the upper gastrointestinal tract. This condition leads to lesions in the affected areas, including the mouth, and as it worsens, it can hinder the bird's ability to eat, drink, and even breathe.

Thanks to Colleen for spotting this owl and collaborating with our center to get it the necessary treatment. We hope for a full recovery, although the prognosis is cautious due to the severity of the case.

Trichomoniasis is caused by the single-celled protozoan Trichomonas gallinae, which has several strains; some lead to clinical disease while others do not. This disease is primarily associated with pigeons and doves, but raptors can also be affected. On rare occasions, waterfowl and upland game birds may be infected. Domestic turkeys, chickens, and other captive birds can also contract the disease. Importantly, this protozoan is not known to infect humans. Trichomoniasis is one of the oldest known wildlife diseases with written records dating back to the 1500s. The protozoan responsible for the disease was not isolated until 300 years later.

The first photo sent to us by the finder. This was an owl in trouble.

The owl was able to fly up into a tree.

The owl flew out of the tree and across the field. Our Rehabber knew that this owl is in serious trouble and needed rescue.

Finally able to contain the owl and head back to the center.

Cornell has a nice write up of the disease, its history, and more details of how it's spread and prevention methods. Check that out here.

Excerpt:

Trichomonosis has been linked to population declines of European turtle doves and the extinction of the North American passenger pigeon. In the summer of 2005, outbreaks of trichomonosis in greenfinches and chaffinches in Great Britain occurred, resulting in mass mortalities and population declines. Outbreaks in finches have spread across Europe.

RSVP Required Join Chicago Ornithological Society for an in person program as we explore and take a deep dive into everything we know about Snowy Owl irruptions!

From Edward Lai

I recently had the opportunity to observe this deep forest Boreal Owl species for the first time. In addition to seeing it, I was able to watch it hunting a mouse in daytime.

Although it is classified as least concerned, it is less frequently seen in Canada than the Northern Saw-whet owl. The Boreal Owl is slightly larger than the Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Location: Alberta Dec 27

From Gian Luca Togon

fantastica creatura / fantastic creature

Allocco degli Urali / Ural owl / Strix uralensis

Europe - Slovenia

Taken November 3, 2024

Posted January 1, 2025

Canon set-up: FF 560mm 1/1000s F4 ISO320